Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Seeing both of his brothers find happiness with their fated
mates has convinced Byron that he can’t simply go on doing nothing. He found
his fated mate five years ago, but a tragedy kept him from confessing the truth
to Kit. He decides to go back and take a chance, unable to go on living with
nothing but dreams of what he could have with his mate.

Kit has lived a quiet, withdrawn life since his parents and
brother were murdered, but he’s beginning to wonder what else is out there for
him in the world. He’s stunned to learn he’s a vampire’s fated mate, but Byron
wins him over quickly with his kindness and patience. Though he isn’t sure he
can accept the mate bond yet, Kit sees his chance to explore the world as he
learns more about this gentle vampire who has waited five years just to be with
him.

Byron adjusted his
bag on his shoulder and hurried toward the stables. As he did so, he glanced
around in every direction. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his parents,
but he had stayed away a long time. Telling Vane he was going to pursue his
mate was one thing—his brother would keep it a secret, at least for a time.
They understood each other, given how Vane had been forced to be without his
mate as well for even longer than Byron had. Byron felt too nervous to go into
the subject in depth with anyone. He just wanted to get on the road, to start
his journey toward Kit and whatever future lay ahead of them. With his mother
close to giving birth, he hadn’t expected them to be traveling at all, let
alone to actually be at Vane’s castle. He managed to get his bag secured to his
favorite black stallion, Saint, and was just about to mount when he heard a
throat being cleared behind him.

“What did you do?
Grab a quick bottle of blood and head right back out here?” his mother asked.

Byron turned to
look at Evane, noting her crossed arms and the rhythm of her foot tapping in
the dirt. “I changed clothes and drank some blood. Cleaned up a bit. I had a
brief chat with Arion and Vane, too.”

Evane came closer.
“And where are you off to in such a hurry? Not back off with His Majesty, I
hope. He’ll wear you out.”

Byron tilted his
head to look down into her eyes. “I’m not going back to King Jareth. I only
lingered as long as I did because I still had some things to think about.”

“Things, hmmm?”
She arched one dark brow at him.

“I daresay you
already know, given that look in your eyes.”

She smiled, her
expression wistful. “A guess. Seeing Vane and Arion has you thinking about your
own mate, I’d wager. If they could work things out, there’s hope for anyone,
hmmm?”

Byron nodded, as
there was no point in denying the truth. “Yes. I’m going to go tell him he’s my
mate. And see what happens.” He shifted his weight and ran one hand through his
hair. “I might be back pretty quickly.”

Her smile
disappeared. “You fear rejection so much?”

“He’s terrified of
vampires. He’s also nineteen and might not like men.”

“That often
doesn’t matter with mates. Age or sexual preference are only obstacles if you
let them be so. The call of the mate bond is strong, even for humans and
shifters.”

“Yeah, but there’s
no getting around the other problem.”

“I take it you
know why he’s scared of vampires? And you know where he is?” A breeze whipped
through the stable, and she tucked a few stands of hair away, her quick
movements showing her agitation. “We certainly don’t know any of those things.
He might as well live on one of the moons, for all we know about him.”

Guilt stabbed at
him. He knew his parents worried out of love. “Maggie’s ward. Kit. Over in
Gregor’s dominion.”

Evane hesitated,
her brows coming together. “But surely he’s over all of that! That madman
wasn’t even a real vampire. Just a lunatic. Gregor has said before that Kit’s
friendly with him.”

“He has?” Since
Byron had kept his mate’s identity a secret from everyone but Maggie until
today, the subject had never come up with Gregor. Byron had avoided it, in
fact, as he’d avoided the topic in general with everyone else.

“Yes. I mean,
Kit’s not crazy about other vampires, but he’s polite, according to Gregor. At
least last I heard.” She fixed him with a stern look, recrossing her arms.
“It’s been a while since I asked about him, since I had no clue he was my son’s
mate.”

“It’s been several
years since that tragedy, Byron. Your chances may be much better than you think
at this point. He’s grown up and may feel differently.” She shrugged. “I don’t
know. Have you been talking to Maggie? What does she say?”

“We’ve written to
each other. She gives me general updates and answers some of my questions.”

“But she doesn’t
encourage you? Say anything about your chances?”

Byron shook his
head. “No. She’s … I don’t know. Stoic, I guess. She seems to think things will
work out if they’re meant to. She says being fated mates is no guarantee of
anything. That I shouldn’t force it any more than I should abandon hope.” He
tried to smile. “You know, the kind of advice that doesn’t help you at all.”

“What does he look
like? Is he a red fox?”

“Yes, he shifts
into a red fox. And he has red hair and green eyes. Fair skin. He was tall and
thin the last time I saw him. And now he’s nineteen, which is of age for
humans.” Vampires were still considered minors until they turned twenty-one,
but most humans were considered adults at eighteen, often marrying even earlier
than that.

“Was that what you
were waiting for, him to turn a certain age? Or are you just telling yourself
that?”

Though the comment
irritated him, Byron came forward and hugged Evane to him. “Mother, I tell
myself a lot of things every day. And it’s driving me crazy.”

Evane wrapped her
arms around him, as if sensing his pain and struggle. “I don’t mean to push.
I’m just frustrated. Don’t mind my teasing. I didn’t mean to upset you either.
I know this must be hard.” She hugged him as close as her swollen stomach would
allow. “Tell me what you need. Your father and I will do anything. Your
brothers, too. All of us.”

“That’s just it.”
He stepped back but kept hold of her hands. “I have to be the one who does
this. Not you or Father. Not my brothers or their mates. Or Maggie or Gregor.
If I can’t even look Kit in the eye and tell him the truth, how can I hope for
anything else?”

“But it’s not
always easy. Human or shifter, it doesn’t matter. Anyone who isn’t a vampire
might react negatively to being a vampire’s fated mate, especially if he’ll be
wary of you biting him. You’ll have to have some plan for approaching him. You
can’t just walk up to him and announce it.”

Byron chuckled.
“I’ll be so nervous I might not be able to talk at all.”

“Oh, shut up.
You’re very charming.”

Byron laughed
again. “Did you just tell me to shut up? Been years since you said that to any
of us.”

She drew her hands
away and reached up to cup his face. “Just go. Quit thinking and start doing.
If it doesn’t work out, come home. You’re only thirty-five, and this boy is not
your only chance at happiness.”

Byron struggled to
believe that, even though he knew many vampires—the king and queen
included—were happy with mates they hadn’t been fated to by the gods. He patted
his mother’s right hand and turned back to Saint, placing one hand on the
saddle horn. “You’ll tell Father?”

“Yes. Once you’ve
gotten a bit of a start. Hard to say how he might react.”

“He might be
angry.”

“Maybe, but it’s
your life. Your mate.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Doesn’t mean everyone isn’t
going to have opinions, but that’s all they are. I think he’ll be glad you’re
taking action, at least.”

Byron mounted his
horse and took the reins. “I’ll write to Vane if there’s anything to report.
Will you stay here until the baby comes?”

She braced her
back with one hand. “Yes. The very idea of getting on a horse or being tossed
around in a carriage makes every inch of me ache. I’m staying here.” She
smiled. “Arion’s so sweet. He seems excited about having a little one around.”
She blinked, her expression changing a bit. “Did they tell you they set a date
for their matehood ceremony? It’s another reason we’re staying. I don’t want to
miss it in case the baby is stubborn, the way you were.”

“What?”

She actually
rolled her eyes at him, rubbing her stomach. “You were two weeks late. I
thought I would burst. So, yes, stubborn.”

“Not at all. I
just loved you so much.” He grinned at her.

She seemed to be
holding back a biting retort as she screwed her lips up. Relaxing and giving a
shrug, she finally said, “Well, you get back here if you can. It’s on the last
day of the month.”

“I’ll do my best.”
Byron thought about Vane and Arion and all the craziness they’d gone through to
get their happy ending. Things weren’t perfect, he knew, but they seemed to
truly love each other. He’d never imagined they would ever be together, or even
see each other again, after what had happened when they first met. Finally
seeing Vane so happy gave Byron strength, in a strange way.

Above all, it gave
him hope.

“Bye, Mother.
Maybe I’ll send home good news soon.”

She smiled and
moved aside as he guided the horse out of the stable. “You better. We have a
bear and a lycan in the family. A fox would round things off nicely.” She
nodded down at her belly. “Maybe the gods will hitch this little one up with a
leopard.”

Byron slowed as
people all turned to look. He nodded to his mother, watching her laugh. Knowing
she’d called out so loudly on purpose, he simply sighed and made his way out of
the castle grounds. Seeing her so happy helped keep his resentment, and
embarrassment, under control. He had bigger things to focus on than his mother
continuing to intentionally embarrass him at his age.